My 2020: Fresh Experiences

We were amazed and often moved by the stories and experiences people shared - here is just a taste...

(From the January - March 2021 issue of VOX)

My Rock and My Comforter - Dublin
The joy of the Lord is my strength. I am thankful for computers and the new ways we communicate with others. I have been involved in two different Bible studies on Zoom and our friendships have been strengthened. In January, I moved home to care for my parents (both with Alzheimer’s). In February, my husband had an operation for cancer. In March, lockdown arrived and in April my father died. But I can still say that the Lord is my rock and comfort.

The earth is the Lord’s - Fermanagh
Through daily walks in lockdown I have been struck by the beauty of the local environment and the real threats to it. I have discovered curlews attempting to breed near me and learnt they might be extinct in Ireland very soon. Threats are local and global and I’m much more conscious of the necessity of Christian care for the environment. Christian faith should have much to say in this sphere. A verse from the Psalms has probably been the standout verse this year “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” 

An Incredible Year of Opportunities - Down
Lockdown forced us to go online. We had planned another Alpha Course in our community but ended up running that online with 107 people signing up. We ended up with a consistent 50-55 each week. There were seven first time decisions for Jesus! We are currently running an online Freedom in Christ Course with 15 people and another online Alpha with 10. It has been an incredible year of different, and unexpected, opportunities for the Gospel. However, we can’t wait to get back to operating as ‘normal’ when possible. 

Sadness and Blessing - Dublin
2020 has been bumpy at times. There is undoubted sadness at not being able to see family and friends and there was a personal family bereavement this year, which couldn’t be marked in any ‘normal’ way. I lost ‘half’ of my job and have been working from home since March and a family member is ill.  But there has been tremendous blessing too. I actually feel closer to my church family, through regular zoom meetings, phone calls and texts. An app with daily reflections has challenged my faith and walk with the Lord. I have taken tremendous joy at spending time in nature. I’m enjoying the simpler things much more. And finally, I’ve been exploring my creative side with workshops and online courses, which have given me a sense of purpose and achievement.

Utterly relying on God - Clare
“Sails” by Pat Barrett has been my tune - completely and utterly relying on God’s guidance and energy. This has been a season of pressing - Hillsong’s New Wine comes to mind - in a difficult season God has pressed me but new wine has emerged. There has been a new level of seeking God in fasting and prayer, a new level of financial sacrifice and with three kids and a dog - a new level of delegation and working smart.” 

Times of refreshing but also concern - Dublin
“I’ve embarked on a new chapter in my walk with God, resting in His love, relying on His goodness, learning to really trust Him with my life more. The lack of communal worship hasn’t dented my faith - I’ve learned to practice it differently, which has been refreshing. However, I think for many young people (including my kids) this has been really damaging for their faith. They are only in the beginning of their journey and the social aspect of it is so important (youth groups, camps and so on) - that has been taken away and they have lost interest as a result. I’m worried for them.”

Convinced of God’s goodness but questioning church - Antrim
“I’ve felt disconnection from church not because I can’t see people but because of the polarising views I see some expressing (e.g. the idea church is persecuted by Covid restrictions). I’m questioning the role of church so much that at times I’ve wondered if I have faith. But God has been good. Through sickness (Covid) and bereavement He has been there. I’m not sure what the future looks like - today I’m in bed with flare up of Long Covid symptoms - but I don’t know how to do life without Him. I have appreciated this song - especially the reference to breath when I’ve had little!”

“GOODNESS OF GOD” BY BETHEL MUSIC
I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never failed me
All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
And in darkest night You are close like no other
I’ve known You as a Father
I’ve known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God

A new opportunity - Dublin
“Just before level 5 in October, coffee shops were in full demand in Dun Laoghaire for a takeaway coffee and a seat with a view. An elderly couple sat a safe distance from me in the people’s park. They were engaged in a conversation with a young man whose wife was a doctor and he was very graciously advising them about best practice about staying safe. When he left I tentatively struck up a conversation about wellbeing on a deeper level. Everything I shared about faith and the futility of living for material gain seemed to register, judging from their expressions. Our conversation lasted perhaps ten minutes and we went back to our coffee time. When they left, I said goodbye and the woman’s parting words gripped me. ‘You will never know what our little conversation has meant to me today!’” 

I’ve grown in my faith - Offaly
“Our church has consistently done a Zoom prayer meeting/Bible study twice weekly since March and it has been what has kept me and pointed me to Jesus. I definitely think I would be struggling to remain connected to Christians and to the Lord without this, but instead I feel I’ve grown in my faith and I’ve grown closer to the group who’ve participated in the Zooms. 

The same yesterday, today and forever - Dublin
“I’ve had surgery twice this year and I had a stroke in March. However the Lord has sustained me. The chorus that I adopted for myself is All May Change But Jesus Never - Glory To His Name. As a church we did some new ideas such as prayer buddies (ringing up a friend and praying with them each day for about an hour to bring the Pandemic front line workers before him as well as the needs of our family and church family).”

Advance Notice - Longford
“For seven years as Longford Bible Alive, a small group of Christians rented a premises in the town centre to meet together to worship, read the Bible and pray for the community. We called it The Well Worship Centre. In October 2019, God began preparing us that this ministry would end in March 2020. In faith, we gave our landlord the required one-month notice in February. A major shock came when two of our small group died suddenly during February. Then Covid-19 arrived in mid March and everything stopped abruptly. It has been difficult to maintain contact with people. While I marvel at the advance notice God gave us, it has still been hard to go from meeting three times a week to zero. We now wait on the Lord for directions.”

Reconnected - Mayo
“I have reconnected with myself through my time in nature and in the garden: there was a sense of being an integral part of creation, in intimate relationship with the Creator. I have also reconnected with something deep inside me through arts and crafts.”